San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunday, Nov 20th marked the last day of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), the 8th annual event that brings together public and private organizations at events across the country to celebrate, strategize, and champion the apprenticeship movement. Over 1,300 events were registered, with representation in every US state, as well as Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. Over 350 cities issued proclamations supporting NAW across the country according to Apprenticeship.gov, with New Apprenticeship and hundreds more hosting events throughout the week.
While apprenticeships have traditionally focused on manufacturing and other trades, several major cities demonstrated that tech apprenticeships will become the new norm. High-impact events with city officials, leading educators, community partners, and of course, employers, laid the foundation for rapid growth in the coming years.
Ami Motsenbocker, Strategic Workforce Development at Lockheed Martin, framed the importance of community in creating apprenticeship programs by saying: “It is really important as we go about this work that we meet each other where we are and recognize that we all have something to contribute. I know I continue to be amazed each and every day that when we take the time to really start with understanding what success looks like at the end of the day, that is when we begin to build the very best programs."
In Dallas, TX, for example, leaders from the public and private sector convened for an Apprenticeship Accelerator last Wednesday to share best practices, discuss strategy, and unite under a shared goal. “Around 1,250 apprenticeships have been completed over the past 5 years at Dallas College,” said Anita Bedford, Director of Experiential Learning, and that apprenticeships are “something that our board and our leadership has committed to. We set our proclamation this year to support apprenticeship as it brings in another diverse pipeline of onboarding talent into your organization."
Also participating from the community were leaders from global tech consulting firm, Infosys, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, Medical City Healthcare, Educate Texas, Communities Foundation of Texas, HCA North Texas, U.S. Department of Labor, and Lockheed Martin. “It’s encouraging to see our partners come together to share their experience and knowledge on apprenticeship so that we can always work together to advance and accelerate apprenticeship,” said Lynn Hoffman, Sr. Innovation Strategist, Workforce Solutions.
In San Antonio, TX, the 7th largest city in the US, similar work was happening. Hosted by Workforce Solutions Alamo, the City of San Antonio, Ready to Work, greater:SATX, and Alamo Colleges, the Friday event featured Mike Ramsey, Executive Director of Workforce Development for the City of San Antonio, highlighting the need for apprenticeships for the city to stay competitive: “We have a need to take the kids who don’t see themselves as college bound and offer them an opportunity in apprenticeship…to make sure we have the local workforce for the community to stay competitive across the state and across the country.”
In Indianapolis, IN, tech ecosystem builder TechPoint held a daylong event that brought together hundreds of career-seekers with local employers to help facilitate the ideal match. Towards the end of the day, apprentices and representatives from Infosys, Eli Lilly, and Allegion were recognized for their leadership in advancing the apprenticeship movement. Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner, David Adams, spoke to the hundreds of employer representatives in attendance about the challenges Indiana has faced in growing, attracting, and retaining talent. “Every organization, independent of industry, is going through a level of digital transformation requiring individuals to have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to help with that transformation,” stated Commissioner Adams. “If you think about our traditional education systems, you go to high school, you might go to community college or university, or you might go to a training program. However, that is not necessarily connected to an opportunity or to a career. That no longer works in today’s economy. The ability to really connect with the employer over the knowledge and skills that are changing all the time is critically important.” Current and former Indianapolis Colts football players, Kameron Cline, Krishon Hogan, and Curtis Brooks presented apprentices with custom laptop backpacks onstage.
Throughout these events, employers voiced their support and commitment to apprenticeship for its unique ability to create employee loyalty that leads to a positive ROI. “Manufacturers have moved into (our) area, some organizations have taken talent from the companies…bleeding them dry,” said Mary Batch, Talent Pipeline Consultant with Caterpillar. “Guess which ones are not bleeding us dry? The ones that are in this apprenticeship program.”
About New Apprenticeship
Founded in 2016 in San Antonio, TX, New Apprenticfeship partners with employers nationally to transform lives by bridging the gap between what schools teach and only experience can bring. Offering programs not only in IT, digital marketing, cloud computing, and data analytics, NEW offers a unique approach to both learning and hiring. The organization continues providing talent for employers in need of a skilled, adaptable, and future-ready workforce. NEW’s experience-based learning and performance coaching system equips talent with the skills they need to accelerate their careers and provides employers with highly qualified and productive talent, creating future leaders in tech. For more information visit: NewApprenticeship.com.
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